Wow! 36 years and no corpses, and the Feed

I’m sure that headline has more than a few of you scratching heads, maybe even your own. Well let me fill you in on some back story. Back before I was Opus the Poet, or any kind of poet (I was just starting to write fiction, poorly) I met this girl, and we got along pretty well and liked each other in a physical way. Since I was under 21 and living in Utah we did not have access to OTC BC. She could have gotten the pill, but since she was a Good Catholic girl she decided that we would use the rhythm method as her church instructed (nevermind the premarital aspect of the thing). Long story short her sense of rhythm was terrible and she skipped a beat, for 9 months. When she failed to show for our weekly date on Steak Night at the dorms I was worried about her, and got a call telling me I was a Daddy to explain why she missed our date. Then I finally got her to accept my proposal when I proposed to her in her hospital room where she was recovering from having the baby at home, in the middle of the night. Time skip 10 days later and we are getting hitched after finding someone to babysit. That was 36 years ago today. Everyone said it wouldn’t last, which is why I put in the “no corpses” bit in the headline. We haven’t killed each other yet, and probably won’t any time soon. We are going out for dinner tonight. I have a coupon for 2 free tacos and a $15 gift card for Jack in the Box, it’s so romantic… 😉

Up first an AZ hit-and-run driver is found and… let go? WTF! Hit and Run Crash Driver Found Noo, that is just so WORNG! It should have said something like “hit-and-run driver found and shot dead trying to escape” or “hit-and-run driver held without bail”. This was literally a drive-through murder, and they let the guy go? If anything ever said anything about the opinions of Yuma AZ LEO towards cyclists, this does. The guy ran once already, why wasn’t he declared a flight risk and held?

From the new #2 killer of cyclists comes a left cross wreck report. Cyclist seriously injured in collision with SUV on Siesta Intersection wreck, protocols to avoid or reduce damages, infrastructure to prevent, death to drivers who “can’t see” and hit cyclists… And I’m in a really bad mood today. I need to step away and get it together and get ready for my date tonight…

A cyclist riding for a UK team goes down after hitting train tracks and gets run over by a bus. Belgian cyclist Kristof Goddaert killed after being involved in training accident No matter how good a rider you are you can still get bitten by train tracks, even without the train. Slow down and ride as perpendicular as possible across the tracks, both to the world and perpendicular to the direction of the tracks.

Why is this even an issue? Residents, cyclists support petition to save the Wellfleet “ghost bike” memorial As I posted to the article and the petition linked in the article ghost bikes are a constant reminder that poor infrastructure killed a person. As I have stated many times in this blog, almost every bike wreck could be prevented with good infrastructure. Deaths are expensive, and should be factored into the costs of bad infrastructure along with people suffering from health problems caused by sitting in cars all day long when most trips could be made by bike.

I’m back from my date and buying something Mrs. the Poet has been nagging me for since mid-November, a new broom and mop. We stopped at the Dollar Store and picked it up for her.

Another e-assist bike hits the market with more attention to style than being a good bike. What Happens When Charm of Old School Design Meets High Tech Gizmos? Meet at Ariel Rider Ebikes! I admit they are good-looking bikes with good designs hiding the battery in the “gas tank” but I would be really interested in seeing their watts/mile figures on a course with lots of rolling hills that were just long enough that you couldn’t use momentum to get over them with minimal pedaling.

Industry news in e-assist bikes as German e-assist leader Bosch makes moves on the US market. New Sales Manager for Bosch eBike Systems These are bottom bracket systems that have to be built into the frame at manufacture, not added aftermarket.

Another gadget that will cost lots of money but not make much difference without a major change in laws and attitudes. This little green laser could save bicyclists’ lives As was pointed out in the article comments section unless drivers are actually looking for the green glow going by they aren’t going to see it on the ground in front of them, particularly if it’s hidden behind the front of the car.